In a turbofan engine, rotor(s) of the low pressure turbine driven by the exhaust flow of the core section are generally drivingly connected to rotor(s) of a low pressure compressor, including the fan, through the low pressure shaft. In turboprop and turboshaft engines, a low pressure compressor rotor may also be connected to the low pressure or power shaft, and the propeller or output shaft is driven by the low pressure shaft either directly or through a fixed ratio gearbox.
Because power demands on the engine vary, for example between take-off and cruise conditions, the turbine and compressor rotors of the core section typically have to rotate at a relatively large range of rotational speeds in order for the low pressure turbine rotor(s), and thus the low pressure compressor rotor(s) and/or propeller or output shaft, to have the required rotational speed. Low power requirement conditions may require the rotors of the core section to rotate relatively far below their optimal rotational speed, which may limit the engine's efficiency in such conditions.